Rosalia Jr.'s Tamales

Recipe courtesy Chuck Hughes

• Ready In: 2 hrs 25 mins
• Yields: 12 tamales

Ingredients

• Tamale Stuffing

• 1  large onion, chopped
• 2  tablespoons/ 30 ml olive oil
• 4  cups/ 1 l  wild mushrooms, chopped (a mix of king Erenghi, oyster and shiitake)
• 3⁄4  ounce/ 20 g dried  mixed mushrooms, rehydrated
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄2  cup/ 125 ml queso fresco
• 1  bunch fresh chives, chopped
• 1  bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 2  poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and sliced

• Masa Dough

• 2  cups/ 500 ml masa harina
• 1 1⁄2  cups/ 375 ml  veal stock (or chicken stock or reserved liquid from dried mushrooms)
• 1⁄2  teaspoon/ 2 ml salt
• 1⁄2  cup/ 125 ml  lard (or duck fat, or butter, softened)

• Garnish

•  salsa
•  queso fresco, crumbled
•  cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Special equipment:
2. 12 corn husks, soaked in water for 30 minutes. If you cannot find corn husks, use aluminum foil or parchment paper.
3. For the stuffing:
4. In a large skillet, saute the onions in the oil over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue sauteing until the moisture releases and completely evaporates, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese and herbs and set aside.
5. For the masa:
6. Combine the masa harina with the stock and salt. Work in the lard until you get a spreadable consistency. If necessary, add a bit more stock.
7. To assemble the tamales:
8. Drain and pat dry the corn husks. Spread the masa about 1/8-inch thick on each corn husk with your fingers, leaving about 1/2-inch border along the sides and a 2-inch border along the top and bottom of the husks. The key to good tamales is to spread the masa thinly. Then, use about 2 tablespoons/30 ml of the mushroom stuffing per tamale. Top with 2 to 3 poblano strips. Fold the sides until they just overlap, fold the narrow end under and place the tamales folded-side down in the steamer.
9. To cook, steam the tamales, covered, in a bamboo steamer over simmering water until the masa is no longer sticky, about 1 hour. (The tamales can be kept in the freezer for 3 months.).
10. Serve the tamales garnished with salsa, crumbled queso fresco and cilantro.
11. Cook's Note:
12. You can substitute queso fresco with any cheese you like, such as smooth goat cheese, feta, etc. You can stuff tamales with almost anything, pork, chicken, ground meat, etc.